Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Have you made your travel arrangements for Huatulco already? Remember that nextTuesday January 31 ends our blocking period for rooms at Las Brisas! After that, the hotel won't guarantee the availability of rooms for the Symposium.

Staying at the venue hotel is better, cheaper (when you consider meals and transportation from other hotels) and more fun! You have more chances of interacting with friends and colleagues, and you won't need to worry about finding transportation back to your hotel after those world-famous parties... Las Brisas is located in Tangolunda Bay, which is the area where the large resorts are. It's not easy to get walking to Las Brisas from the nearby hotels (which, by the way, are more expensive...). If you stay in La Crucecita (Huatulco's town), you will need to get a taxi cab everyday to get to the Symposium (it's about 4 kms). We're including here a map so you'll have an idea of the distances.

There are still rooms available at the special rates offered for the event. Please make your reservations via e-mail to the following addresses:gabriela.perez@brisas.com.mx

Guelaguetza is a word in Zapotec language that means "offering" or "present". In it's broad context, it refers to a generous act of giving whenever needed, which will always be corresponded by the one that received. Guelaguetza is a traditional celebration in Oaxaca, where the eight regions of the State offer to the world their dances, dresses, traditions and products of each region:

The Central Valleys

Sierra Juárez (in the North)

La Cañada

Tuxtepec

La Mixteca

The Coast

Sierra Sur (in the South)

and Tehuantepec Isthmus

It is a major event in which everybody participates, without distinction of social status. Each delegation presents a sample of their cultural heritage through dances, music and singing, dressing the traditional gala clothes of their respective towns. At the end, each group distributes among the audience the "Guelaguetza", offering composed of products and objects characteristic of each region.

Guelaguetza or "Mondays on the Hill" is celebrated during the two mondays following July 16th; sometimes during the second and third mondays after the 16th because it's the anniversary of the passing of President Benito Juarez, native of Oaxaca. The Guelaguetza lasts two days, but during our Symposium we will have a brief representation as a sample for our guests of the Oaxacan traditions.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Hello everyone, we are noticing that some of the announcements are being posted in the blog. We have designated another place to do so which is the first link ate the right of the blog on the sidebar named Announcements, there you can ask for roomates, selling/buying stuff, personal messages and so on. We encourage you to post your announcements there.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

We are aware that Huatulco might be a tricky place to travel from other countries... if you look up in Expedia or other travel assistance webpages, you'll probably end with very few (and expensive) flights from Aeromexico, the largest carrier that services the destination.

There are other local low-cost airlines that come to Huatulco, but can be hard to find because they usually don't have agreements with the big international carriers.

We made arrangements for a travel agency to help you with your travel in case you need it, including assistance with flight reservations, ground transportation from the airport to the hotel, visits and field trips to exciting sites in the Huatulco area and, for the adventurous that want to spend more time in the beautiful Oaxaca state, tours to other destinations like Oaxaca city. You can contact our friends from Fusion Travel DMC at http://fusiontraveldmc.com/simposio/

If you're OK and don't feel like needing the help from a travel agent, you might try to book your international flight to Mexico City and look for the following local airline options:

Magnicharters http://www.magnicharters.com.mx

Interjet http://www.interjet.com.mx

Viva Aerobus http://vivaaerobus.com

Aeromar http://www.aeromar.com.mx

Continental and Alaskan Airlines had some flights to Huatulco from some Pacific cities in USA, worth giving it a look also...

You can also travel to Oaxaca city and find a flight in Aerotucan, a small local airline that uses Cessna planes. Great for the ones that want to spend some time visiting the archaeological sites near the capital.

If you want to travel by land, there are several buses that provide service to Huatulco from both Oaxaca and Mexico City, but it's a long ride: about 8 hours from Oaxaca and 14 hours from Mexico City. If still interested, try ADO (http://www.adogl.com.mx).